Antique Arms & Militaria

A Letter Sent From Port Royal from Capt Vansittart, the Capture of a French Privateer. Dated April 5th 1804 from Capt. Henry Vansittart (1777-1843) of HMS Fortunee to Admiral James R. Dacres Admiral of the White

The letter informs the admiral that Capt Vansittart captured the French pirate ship, the Privateer Tayan with 46 men aboard. Capt Vansittart had a most distinguished career culminating in his appointment as Vice-Admiral. He served on on the Princess Royal, flagship of Rear-Admiral Goodall, the L'Aigle with Capt. Hood at the Battle of Calvi, on HMS Victory, and as Lieutenant of HMS Stately in the capture of the Cape of Good Hope, and Capt of HMS Fortunee for nine years
Born: 17th April 1777 at Hanover Square, Westminster, Middlesex
Vice-Admiral
Died: 21st March 1843 at Eastwood, Woodstock, Canada

Vice-Admiral Vansittart was the 5th son of George Vansittart (1745-1825) of Bisham Abbey in Berkshire, who married, on 24th October 1767, Sarah, daughter of the Rev. Sir James Stonhouse, bart. He was born in George Street, Hanover Square, on 17th April 1777 and grew up in Bisham. General George Henry Vansittart, was his elder brother; Henry Vansittart, the Governor of Bengal, and Professor Robert Vansittart were his uncles; and Nicholas, 1st Baron Bexley, his first cousin. Having been entered on the books of the Scipio, guard-ship on the Medway, in October 1788, he was afterwards nominally in the Boyne, guard-ship on the Thames, and probably actually served in the Pegasus on the Newfoundland station in 1791. In 1792, he was on the Hannibal, stationed in Plymouth, and, in 1793, went out to the Mediterranean on the Princess Royal, flagship of Rear-Admiral Goodall. During the Siege of Toulou by the Republican Army, he was severely wounded. After the evacuation of the place, he was moved into L'Aigle, with Captain Samuel Hood, served at the Siege of Calvi and was, in October 1794, moved onto the Victory in which he returned to England. On 21st February 1795, he was promoted to be lieutenant of the Stately, in which be was present at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope, and of the Dutch squadron in Saldanha Bay. He was then moved onto the Monarch, Elphinstone's flagship, and returned in her to England. He was next appointed to the Queen Charlott, Keith's flagship in the Channel; and, on 30th May 1798, was promoted to be commander of the Hermes, from her, he was moved to the Bonetta, which he took out to Jamaica; and, on 13th February 1801, he was posted to the Abergavenny, stationed at Port Royal. In the July, he returned to England in the Thunderer and, after a few months on half-pay, was appointed, in April 1802, to the Magicienne from which, in January 1803, he was moved, to the Fortuned of 36 guns. For upwards of nine years, he commanded this ship in the North Sea, off Boulogne, in the Channel, in the West Indies and in the Mediterranean, for the most part in active cruising and in convoy service. In August 1812, he was moved onto the 74-gun ship ?Clarence?, till March 1814. With the exception of a few months in 1801-2, he had served continuously from 1791. He became a Rear-Admiral on 22nd July 1830, Vice-Admiral on 23rd November 1841 and died on 21st March 1843 at his seat, Eastwood at Woodstock in Canada. He married, in 1809, Mary Charity (d. 1834), daughter of the Rev. John Pennefather, and was the father of five children including Vice-Admiral Edward Westby Vansittart. Paper bears Admiralty, Crowned oval bearing Brittania watermark, and maker name, Gater and date 1803.  read more

Code: 20833

An Ancient Archaic Chinese Dagger, From the Warring States Period to Han Dynasty circa 520 to 225 BC.

All bronze, graduating double edged blade, with central rib and slightly swollen tip. Cylindrical grip and flared disc pommel, showing the aperture to the grip. The blade bears two curlique stamps, one an inverted version of the other, that may be caligraphy kanji or symbolic, stylised decor

This is one of a stunning collection of original archaic bronze age weaponry we have just acquired and has now arrived. Many are near identical to other similar examples held in the Metropolitan in New York, the British royal collection, and such as the Hunan Provincial Museum, Hunan, China. Many pieces we acquired were sold for the part benefit of the Westminster Abbey fund, and the Metropolitan Museum fund

The Warring States Period lasted 254 years it started from 475 BC and ended in 221 BC. It was the last period of the Zhou Dynasty (1046–221 BC). The Zhou Dynasty era consisted of three periods: Western Zhou (1046–771 BC), the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC), and the Warring States Period.

The Warring States Period began because the nobles stopped supporting the Zhou Dynasty, and Zhou's vassal states declared themselves independent from Zhou and fought for territory, becoming kingdoms or warring states.

The independence of vassal states was caused by the Zhou Dynasty’s system of enfeoffment: in order to strengthen the Zhou king’s power, nobles who contributed to the dynasty were awarded land.
Then vassal states formed. Vassal states could manage their own lands and raise their own armies. Once a vassal state became strong enough, its ambition went beyond being a small state.
The Warring States Period was dominated by 7 warring states.
Powerful vassal states constantly annexed smaller vassal states, and by the middle of the Warring States period, there were seven vassal states: Qin, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi.

Qin was in the far west, occupying today's Shaanxi Guanzhong, Hanzhong, southeast Gansu, central and eastern Sichuan.
Chu enjoyed the largest area. It dominated the south, with its core territory around the Yangtze River, controlling today’s Hubei, and part of Henan, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang.
Zhao was in the north, roughly most of today's Shanxi and Hebei and part of Inner Mongolia.
Wei was located in the middle, roughly part of today's Henan.
Han was situated in the middle too, occupying part of Henan and Shanxi.
Yan, in the northeast, controlled today’s Beijing, Liaoning, and Jilin.
Qi controlled the east, centred on the Shandong Peninsula.

315 mm long overall.

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity  read more

Code: 24885

A Most Beautiful Early 18th Century Austrian Flintlock, A Royal Castle Gun, Originally Made in Vienna Possibly by Fowler & Riflemaker Casper Zelner. Latterly Used in the American Revolutionary War of the 1770's

Somewhat reminiscent of the beautiful guns produced by Caspar Zelner of Vienna, as his long guns utilized the rifle style trigger guard combined with stock cheekpiece despite being a fowler, Likely to make the gun more accurate than a regular fowler, but an expensive addition to the guns initial cost, but if it was indeed made as a royal castle gun for the hunts of the dukes and princes, this would be an inconsequential expense.

The brass trigger guard bow and front tang are have deep scroll carving. The brass buttplate tang is also nicely carved and engraved. The brass wrist escutcheon has a royal coat of arms in the center. The brass sideplate is very well executed. The carved half stock is fine. It has edge lines along the ramrod channel, carving and edge lines along the trigger guard, carving around the barrel tang, and decorative lines at the forward part of the comb. The action functions correctly. It's unusual to find an early fowler with its original full length barrel as most were shortened during their period of use. This could very well be a castle gun, originally used for royal hunts. Then possibly taken by an officer nobleman who fought in the American Revolutionary War with the Prussians for the British, or, for the American Continental Army

From the American Revolutionary War period. Banana shaped lock, good swan necked cock and walnut stock with finest brass mounts.

The great military arms collections in the US such as the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan have numerous guns of this very type, all once the property of officers serving in the American Continental Army during the War of Independence. This is a very nice example in very good order with a good sound action. The mounts are beautiful quality, in all brass, superbly deluxe engraved.

Ethnic Germans, and indeed Austrians, served on both sides of the American Revolutionary War. Large numbers of Germans had emigrated to Pennsylvania, New York, and other American colonies, and they were generally neutral. Some belonged to pacifist sects such as the Amish, but many were drawn into the Revolution and the war.
Germans in Europe lived in numerous separate states. Some of these states had been in alliance with Britain during the Seven Years' War, and were eager to assist Great Britain. Britain had used auxiliary forces in every one of its 18th century wars, their use in suppressing rebellion seemed consistent with previous policy. Their use against British subjects was controversial, however. Despite British Whig opposition to using German soldiers to subjugate the "sons of Englishmen," Parliament overwhelmingly approved the measure in order to quickly raise the forces need to suppress the rebellion.

The leasing of soldiers to a foreign power was also controversial to some Europeans, but the people of these continental states generally took great pride in their soldiers' service in the war. Prussia notably rejected the request to send soldiers. Germans living in America did not enlist in the auxiliary units but some enlisted in British units. The 60th (Royal American) Regiment recruited both from the Americas and from Germany.

Colonial-era jurists drawing a distinction between auxiliaries and mercenaries, with auxiliaries serving their prince when sent to the aid of another prince, and mercenaries serving a foreign prince as individuals.13 By this distinction, the troops which served in the American Revolution were not mercenaries, but auxiliaries. Early Republican historians, however, defended the term "mercenaries" to distinguish the foreign, professional armies from the idealized citizen soldier who altruistically fought for independence.14 Mercy Otis Warren promoted the idea of German auxiliaries as barbarians, but also as victims of tyranny.15

Throughout the war, the United States attempted to entice the hired men to stop fighting. In April 1778, Congress issued a letter, addressed "To the officers and soldiers in the service of the king of Great Britain, not subjects of the said king", which offered land and livestock to defecting German units, in addition to increased rank.16 At the conclusion of the war, Congress offered incentives—especially free farmland—for these ethnic Germans to remain in the United States. Great Britain also offered land and tax incentives to its Loyalist soldiers willing to settle in Nova Scotia in present-day Canada.

41.5 inch barrel, 57 inches long overall  read more

Code: 24963

Fabulous Museum Grade Sword 18th Century Damascus Wootz Steel, Mohammed's Ladder Pattern, & Stunning Solid Silver & Enamel Makara Hilt, The 'Palace of the Nawab of Lucknow’. Probably One of The Most Beautiful & Finest Indian Princely Royal Swords

This fabulous royal grade solid silver and enamel sword, with Lucknow distinctive enamel work of flowering plants interspersed with architectural vignettes, has just returned from a museum grade blade polish to reveal its obscured {through natural age} finest, crucible steel wootz Damascus blade, in the pattern of Mohammed's Ladder. Unsurprisingly, it now looks as fine and beautiful as it was when last used in the 18th & 19th century by such as the King of Oudh {Lucknow} Ghasi-ud-din, Haidar Shah

The ‘Mohammed’s Ladder’ Kirk Narduban Crucible ‘Wootz Damascus’ steel blade is truly breathtaking.
The Ladder of Mohammed is said to have enabled Mohammed to travel through the heavens, meeting various prophets and gaining access to the different levels of paradise. Muhammad's ladder thus symbolizes the connection between the terrestrial and spiritual worlds, representing spiritual elevation and proximity to God.
Which ultimately means, to many, this is the most desirable and likely rarest of all the early Indo-Persian crucible wootz Damascus steel blade designs, being of such a spiritual significance, as well as stunningly beautiful. Intriguingly it is still contentious, to specialist academics, as to how it was even made, as there is no clear agreed evidence or knowledge as to its extraordinary construction. There are two trains of thought but no undeniable agreement..

The museum grade conservation polish goes up to the gold cartouche, at the base of the hilt, and around the hilt langets. The small area of the gold cartouche has been left ‘as is’ intentionally. The potential very high risk of damage being created to the gold calligraphy by attempting to polish within the gold seal would be extremely dangerous to its integrity. It is only responsible to not take any even remote chance of damage to this fabulous and historical rare treasure.

A near identical pair to our sword, is another magnificent and rare example, Makara enamel hilted crucible steel bladed sword, is an exhibit in the world renown Getty Museum Collection in America {see a photo of the pair together side by side by comparison in the gallery}. Occasionally, surviving Lucknow swords of the silver and enamel Goat Head pattern can be found, used by lesser nobles of the Shah's court, but the mythical Makara silver and enamel hilted swords, apparently, were reserved for the Shah's sole and personal use, especially with the Mohommed's ladder blade.

A magnificent work of art, and the sword of a prince or king. It has a fabulous vibrant hues of brilliant blue and green through a painstaking champlevé and basse-taille enameling process. This process involves fusing coloured glass to metal at extraordinarily high temperatures to create a striking and durable outer layer that can withstand the test of time. This distinctive usage of blues and greens on the piece reinforces its origins in Lucknow, a renowned centre for the production of such sophisticated enamel artifacts. The fabulous wootz Mahommed's Ladder Kirk Narduban pattern Damascus blade, with a gold inscription and gold cartouches. In very good condition for age, the polychrome enamels are inlaid into the solid silver hilt, that is further decorated with three heads of the mythical beast, the Makara, including the pommel and both quillon ends, with just very minor enamel surface losses. One of the finest Lucknow Damascus swords you could find today, from the one time rulers of Lucknow, and most likely originated from the palace of the Nawab of Lucknow.
A Nawab was a Sovereign Prince and Governor of the Moghul Empire. An almost identical princely form of Lucknow Makara enamel silver hilted sword is in the Getty Research Institute, in LA, California. Centuries ago Lucknow emerged as one of the most important centres in the world for courtly crafts such as fine enamelling on silver.
It was the capital of the state of Oudh which was established in 1750. The flourishing arts scene was largely on account of the patronage of the local, supremely wealthy Nawabs of Oudh. By the mid-19th century, Lucknow was India's largest and wealthiest city. Lucknow Moghul daggers and swords, especially with Damascus blades, are considered to be some of the most valuable and desirable in the world of antique weaponry art. Representations of such are in the finest collections, such as the British Royal Collection, The British Museum and the Getty Museum.

The mythical Makara;
Dwelling in the Indian Ocean, the Makara is traditionally looked upon as a powerful deity, which was capable of harming or guarding seafarers, depending upon its whims. Many scholars naturally assume that the tales of the Makara are nothing more than myths based upon ancient eyewitness accounts of Indian elephants swimming off the coast of India, as they are sometimes known to do. Until 1719, the subah of Awadh was a province of the Mughal Empire administered by a Governor appointed by the Emperor. Persian adventurer Saadat Khan, also known as Burhan-ul-Mulk, was appointed Nizam of Awadh in 1722 and established his court in Faizabad, near Lucknow.

Many independent kingdoms, such as Awadh, were established as the Mughal Empire disintegrated. The third Nawab, Shuja-ud-Daula (r. 1753-1775), fell out with the British after aiding the fugitive Nawab of Bengal, Mir Qasim. Roundly defeated at the Battle of Buxar by the East India Company, he was forced to pay heavy penalties and surrender parts of his territory. Awadh's capital, Lucknow rose to prominence when Asaf-ud-Daula, the fourth Nawab, shifted his court to the city from Faizabad in 1775. The British East India Company appointed a resident (ambassador) in 1773 and by early 19th century gained control of more territory and authority in the state. They were, however, disinclined to capture Awadh outright and come face to face with the Maratha Empire and the remnants of the Mughal Empire. In 1798, the fifth Nawab Wazir Ali Khan alienated both his people and the British and was forced to abdicate. The British then helped Saadat Ali Khan take the throne. He became a puppet king, and in a treaty of 1801, yielded large part of Awadh to the East India Company while also agreeing to disband his own troops in favour of a hugely expensive, British-controlled army. This treaty effectively made the state of Awadh a vassal of the East India Company, although it continued to be part of the Mughal Empire in name until 1819. The treaty of 1801 proved a beneficial arrangement for the East India Company as they gained access to Awadh's vast treasuries, repeatedly digging into them for loans at reduced rates. In addition, the revenues from running Awadh's armed forces brought them useful returns while the territory acted as a buffer state. The Nawabs were ceremonial kings, busy with pomp and show. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the British had grown impatient with the arrangement and demanded direct control over Awadh.

In 1856 the East India Company first moved its troops to the border, then annexed the state for alleged maladministration. Awadh was placed under a chief commissioner Sir Henry Lawrence. Wajid Ali Shah, the then Nawab, was imprisoned, then exiled by the East India Company to Calcutta. In the subsequent Indian Rebellion of 1857, his 14-year-old son Birjis Qadra, whose mother was Begum Hazrat Mahal, was crowned ruler. Following the rebellion's defeat, Begum Hazrat Mahal and other rebel leaders sought asylum in Nepal. Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah became Nawab Wazir of Oudh on 11 July 1814 after the death of his father. In 1818, under the influence of Warren Hastings, the British Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), he declared himself as the independent Padshah-i-Awadh (King of Oudh). This sword would likely have been part of his treasure.

The story of the the wonders of the creating of these blade goes back at least 2400 years. The possibly first indirect reference to crucible steel appears in the writing of Ctesias of Cnidu, a Greek physician at the court of the Persian King Artaxerxes II (404 BC - 398/397 BC) he wrote several (lost) books about Persia and India. St. Photios the Great (Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 858 to 867 and from 877 to 886) quoted from Ctesias books in the 9th century AD or about 1300 years later. From this we know of two wonderful if not magical swords of (maybe) Indian iron that Artaxerxes gave to Ctesias.
Going back 1700 years. Such as was written by Zosimos (a. 350 AD - ca. 420 AD) who was born in Panoplis (present-day Akhmim in the south of Egypt). He worked as an early alchemist in Alexandria and has written in fine detail. Some of his writings have survived. As far as crucible steel is concerned, he states:
"The tempering of Indian Iron: Take 4 pounds of soft iron, and the skins of myrobalans, called elileg, 15 parts; belileg, 4 parts; and two parts of glassmakers magnesia. Then place it into a crucible amd make it level. .... Put on the charcoal and blow the fire until the iron becomes molten and the ingredients become united with it. ... Such is the premier and royal operation, which is practiced today and by means of which they make marvellous swords. It was discovered by the Indians and exploited by the Persians".
Two paintings in the gallery {for historical information only};

1} Ghasi-ud-din, Haidar Shah Nawab of Oudh (in power from 1814 to 1818), and was subsequently made the first King of Oudh (1818-27). Its possible he may be holding this sword when he sat for this portrait in 1818

2} The Procession of Ghazi ud-Din Haider Shah through Lucknow
No scabbard.  read more

Code: 22605

The Lanes Armoury, Britain’s Favourite & Best Arms and Armour Gallery and Website. Its Been Over A Hundred Years In The Making. Whether You View Us Online Or Join The Hundreds & Thousands of People That Personally Visit Us Every Day {Except Sunday}

Over 3193 visitors came through our door last Saturday before Easter. That is more, apparently, than the daily visitors to the LAPADA Art and Antiques Fair in Grosvenor Square London, and that has over 100 of the UK’s finest and best art and antique dealer's exhibiting (and we are free!). Of course a £27 a head entry ticket to the Antiques Fair might have something to do with it.🤔

Another part of our original Japanese katana acquisitions will arrive to our site next week, and as usual many are stunning beauties

A fabulous Grande Armee sword of Napoleon’s cuirassiers just arrived. A truly out standing example, despite being used for around 10 years in combat service, including surviving the Russian campaign in 1812 to Moscow, that saw the decimation of Napoleon’s entire Grande Armee, it is in superb condition and truly a museum grade example, as good as any sword in Les Invalides Musee de L’Armee in Paris. Plus, Scottish Regt. Issue 'Tower Of London' GR Crown 'Brown Bess' Musket of the Napoleonic Wars, Peninsular War & Waterloo With Bayonet. Scottish Regimental Markings for Renfrewshire Regt. Then Transferred To The 42nd Foot the 'Black Watch' and An Incredibly Rare, 1000 Year Old, Original Viking-Norsemen Warrior’s, Four Plate Iron Helmet From the Late Viking Raids Era and The King Harold & William the Conquerer Battle of Hastings, & The Same Helmet Used By Knights Throughout The Early Crusades. Plus a collection of rare WW2 trophies, service combat badges, from one of the top secret 30 commando veterans, acquired while intelligence gathering for the Admiralty and James Bond author, Ian Fleming.

An Original Antique Edo Period Suit of Samurai Gesoku Armour With gilt Tomoe Mon, of the Kobayakawa Clan. With Dragon Cuirass & Momonari Kabuto With Hanbo, was just sold by us, and that was a stunning beauty, and another piece has now been added to a collection of wonderful pieces acquired from us by a most highly esteemed collector over the past decade.

A most rare late 17th early 18th century Japanese-Dutch ‘Black Ship’ captain’s sword we offer for sale was made by Japanese emigre sword koshirae makers from Nagasaki. A sawasa technique of gilded copper alloy with black shakudo detailing, a European style naval captain’s sword, made by Japanese samurai sword artisans, from Nagasaki, a sword of incredible beauty and rarity. Plus, a hanger sword, the same type as used by the notorious pirate, Blackbeard, and a most historical SA district leader signed presentation copy of Mein Kampf, a wedding gift to an SS nco, later, {and deservedly} executed by the DDR apparently, in East Germany.

Another collection has just arrived the other day and other pieces are arriving every day. Just two days ago an Indian Royal Princes museum grade sword just returned from curator polishing of the crucible steel Damascus blade of Mohammed’s Ladder pattern, one of the most beautiful we have ever seen. It’s near identical pair is in the Getty Collection Museum in LA.

Some seriously interesting and historical pieces, as usual are added every single day. Last week, Mark, one of the partners, helped last year to narrate a new documentary for the History Channel. Filming had been taking place for about three months, with Mark and all the various presenters, but once it is edited and ready for viewing, hopefully next year, we will let you know! The difficulty has been the logistics of filming, while simultaneously running our business here in The Lanes of Brighton. We have had the great pleasure to be involved directly, and indirectly, with dozens, if not hundreds of film and tv projects based here in Brighton. In fact since the 1930’s, although only for a brief period, we owned the Brighton film studios, that once it closed down production, became an auction house, Meads. We were involved in both productions of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock movie, the first in 1947, with a very juvenile looking Dickie Attenborough, and the second re-make just 15 years ago, starring Sam Riley and Helen Mirren, involved us letting our shop be completely taken over for a week as a location film set. Ironically, almost all the Brighton location filming was cut from the movie as Brighton didn’t appear ‘Brighton’ enough, as it lacked the ‘1950’s seedy vibe’, so almost all the scenes in the film were re-created in Eastbourne around 15 miles east of Brighton.

Some other pieces that arrived were beautiful, and rare, superb Napoleonic period British French and American swords, wonderful antique pistols, stunning ancient rings, Roman and Crusaders, an ancient original Saxon Thegn’s war axe from the time of Alfred the Great and the Viking invasions of the Kingdom of Wessex, a wonderful Viking axe-hammer, ancient Roman silver and bronze armlets {bracelets} and, as usual, you can be confident everything is original, and they are all superb examples.

One of the rings that recently arrived is a fabulous knight’s ring, from Agincourt to the Wars of the Roses period, a 15th century ring with an intaglio naïve engraving of a knight on horseback holding aloft his knightly sword, a fabulous and beautiful piece. Another is a wonderful and superb status Roman seal ring, of senator to equites quality, from the time of the Emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Cladius to Nero, it is a beautiful carved gemstone intaglio ring of an ancient portrait bust of Roman goddess {Now Sold}. Plus, one of the very rare ancient Roman talismanic rings, around 1900 years old, that were sought out by Heinrich Himmler’s team of archeological hunters to prove the ancient Roman source of the Germanic Aryan ancestry {also Sold}. As was interestingly featured as the basis of the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the Third Reich artefact hunters seeking by any means the Ark of The Covenant, The ring displaid upon the ring a carved, engraved fylfot, the ancient and most important symbol of the Aryans {according to Himmler’s obedient historians} that was adopted by the national socialists in the early 30’s, and every proved ancient art treasure or jewel that featured this symbol was eagerly hunted down at any cost.

If you are a first time visitor, or one of our 40,000 online viewing regular customers, welcome {or welcome back} to our online shop. We hope you enjoy it as much as the many millions of past visitors have already, since we first went online in 1996. It was designed to accompany, and operate hand-in-hand, with our gallery-shop, that has been located in the Brighton Lanes since the reign of King George Vth. According to our statisticians our website has been {conservatively} viewed over 54 million 750 thousand times, since it launched in the 90’s. And in the same period, our shop has likely been personally visited {also conservatively} by over 5 1/2 million people since 1996. Of course, in the case of our shop, another 77 years of visitors could be added to that figure..

Every single day, due to our most fortunate status as one of Europe’s, and certainly Britain’s, oldest and favourite original specialist collector’s galleries, amazing historical, pieces, from all the major {and minor} civilisations, from the past 4000 years, arrive at our doorstep. Just two weeks ago another huge collection of 320 cloth bound hardback vintage books arrived, many based around historical artefact collecting themes, and 19th Century ornithological tomes. Recently we acquired an incredible six ‘pair’ sets of ‘The Descent Of Man’ by Charles Darwin London all the 1871 printing, English Volumes 1 & 2- They were all delivered here at our store, and our regular ‘collector book hunters’ eagerly devoured them. Some were very scarce limited print run examples from the Early Victorian to 1920’s period. The Charles Darwin books were a joy to own, even for just one day, in Mark’s 54 years here he can never remember having six twin volume Darwin sets from one years publication before, and even at almost a £1,000 a pair they were gone in less than an hour.

Such as, in this month alone, new arrivals included, a collection of museum grade original swords and French Napoleonic arms, and a Royal Navy ship’s cannon, Brown Bess muskets, and a sword of an Indian Maharajah Prince, plus several samurai swords, antique and WW2 as usual. Always online is a unique selection of original ancient Greek, Chinese and Viking antiquities, including rings, helmets, swords, spears and battle axes, plus, various dozens of rare, superb and intriguing original Roman antiquities. Most of our antiquities were acquired around 200 years ago by members of the British nobility that were once buying pieces from locals while on their 'Grand Tour' of Europe.
This site also contains up to 17,000 photographs of our currently available offerings to view. Enjoy!

Our History;
The Lanes Armoury, are Brighton Family Traders since 1919. Thousand’s of worldwide visitors to the UK come to visit us practically every day, and their most consistent and much appreciated comment includes that they believe that we were the most amazing and interesting shop they had ever visited in Britain, or even the whole of Europe. We are like a museum, as they consistently say, but, everything is for sale! One must say that if we were a museum, we would likely be the smallest in the UK, but, we contain thousands upon thousands of collectables, militaria and books, prehistoric, ancient, antique and vintage pieces, from an incredibly rare Zulu War artefact, the Zulu King's, carved horn sceptre knopkerrie, to a 66 million year old shark's tooth, to a samurai sword made around 800 years ago, with many hundreds of other fabulous swords, also from ancient Japan, to a section of a Roman Legionary’s armour, a Roman Tribune’s ring of victory, to a sporting gun made for a prince, or a 14 million year old impactite fragment from a meteor strike in Germany, a signal cannon from Admiral Nelson's navy, to a copy {now sold} of 'The Great Gatsby', an incredibly rare Ist Edition novel.

We offer magical and wondrous artefacts, each with a history beyond compare. We were honoured to be described by Victor Harris, England’s foremost & respected Japanese Sword expert, based at the British Museum, as the most unique and remarkable shop he has ever visited.

In the previous 100 plus years our past and present clients include; Hollywood movie star legends such as Edward G.Robinson, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Bette Davis, the British aristocracy from the late Queen Mary onwards, famous academics in all known fields, curators of many British museums, and politicians of all colours from numerous countries around the world, and last, yet most importantly, private collectors from all walks of life and nations.
Mark was once personally thanked, by one of our more universally recognisable clients, in the 1980’s, by President Ronald Reagan, for his pair of Roman glass vases bought from our gallery, and he then, most generously, gave Mark an autographed photo of himself in the Oval Office.

We have had the greatest of privileges to have had pass through our hands some quite remarkable pieces, such as one incredible 'Royal Family' piece that springs to mind. Around 35 years ago, we acquired a fabulous ‘royal’ gentleman’s desk set, in magnificent cloisonné enamel, gifted by one British 20th century King, to another, King George VIth and King Edward VIIIth. Each piece was signed, within the intricate enamels design, personally, for the king, in King George VIth’s ‘family name’, ‘Bertie’, with a personal engraved dedication.
‘There, but for the grace of God’. We presumed it was given away by a member of the family during the period of enmity between the former royal princes. King George VIth, and certainly his well beloved wife, Queen Elizabeth, {the parents of our adored, late Queen Elizabeth} well deservedly, never truly forgave his weak and manipulated brother, for the betrayal to his duty, to his family and his nation. One might say ‘plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.’. What a piece of history, and ironically, somewhat pertinent to today's unfolding events. We wish we had it now!

Our oldest regular collector was over 100 years old, and another client, our most regular customer, has been coming to us for over 77 years! Every month over 40,000 of our regular followers around the world request our weekly stock updates by email, and it is so easy to join them, on our home page, just enter your regular email address, and click go!

The photos we show in this gallery are of just a hint of the type of items we have bought and then sold online within the recent past, on just one day, and every item was accompanied with our unique, Certificate of Authenticity. Of course any certificate of authenticity, given by even the best specialist dealers, in any field, all around the world, is simply a piece of paper, however, ours is backed up with the fact we are the largest dealers of our kind in the world, with over 100 years and four generation’s of professional trading experience behind us,  read more

Code: 23219

19th Century, 1858 Lefrauchaux 7mm Pinfire Pocket Revolver, With Foldaway Trigger. A Pair To The Vincent van Gogh Pistol That Sold for $182,000 in June 2019. A Very Interesting And Inexpensive Original Antique Arms And Armour Collectible

A Lefrauchaux pinfire revolver, 7mm. Calibre. Good strong spring, action non functioning. Wooden grips, foldaway trigger. A pair to the exact same 7mm pinfire revolver, from the same maker, owned by Vincent van Gogh, that he used to despatch himself on the 27th July 1890, he died two days later. However, the Van Gogh Lefreachaux revolver, that sold for $182,000 in June 2019, was in dreadful relic recovered condition. However when Van Gogh used it it would have looked exactly as this pistol.

We show in the gallery a historically significant identical 7mm pinfire revolver that sold in Paris, by Rémy Le Fur & Associates, for $182,000. It was the 7mm Lefrauchaux pinfire that Van Gogh used to shoot himself. We were one of the dozen or so unsuccessful bidders for it, but unfortunately it exceeded our top price that we bid for our American client was willing to pay.

The gun offered at the sale was found in the field in question by a farmer around 1960, and was handed to the current consignor’s mother. The auction house claims there are several factors that point to it being the gun in question: it was discovered in the location where Van Gogh was shot; the 7mm caliber matches that of the bullet retrieved from Van Gogh’s body, and scientific studies suggest that the gun had been on the ground since the 1890s. It is also a fairly small calibre gun, which might explain why the artist didn’t die immediately.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch:30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. Not commercially successful, he struggled with severe depression and poverty, eventually leading to his suicide at age thirty-seven. Interestingly he lived for a time in England as an art salesman, then later as a supply teacher in Ramsgate

These hand made pistols were very popular indeed during the Civil War but very expensive as they took the all new pinfire cartridge, which revolutionised the way revolvers operated, as compared to the old fashioned percussion action. In fact, while the percussion cap & ball guns were still in production such as made by Remington, Colt and Starr and being used in the American Civil War, the much more efficient and faster pinfire guns that were only made from 1861 were the fourth most popular gun chosen, by those that could afford them, during the war. General Stonewall Jackson was presented with two deluxe pinfire pistols with ivory grips, and many other famous personalities of the war similarly used them. The American makers could not possibly fulfill all the arms contracts that were needed to supply the war machine, especially by the non industrialised Confederate Southern States. So, London made guns were purchased, by contract, by the London Armoury Company in great quantities, as the procurement for the war in America was very profitable indeed. They were despatched out in the holds of hundreds of British merchant ships. First of all, the gun and sword laden vessels would attempt to break the blockades, surrounding the Confederate ports, as the South were paying four times or more the going rate for arms, but, if the blockade proved to be too efficient, the ships would then proceed on to the Union ports, such as in New York where the price paid was still excellent, but only around double the going rate. This pistol is the pocket or overcoat size, and is the very size that was so popular, as a fast and efficient personal protector, by many of the senior rank officers of both the US and the CSA armies. They were just as popular well into the Wild West period when this one was made. Rammer removed. Photo in the gallery of a Civil War Union cavalry sergeant with an imported 9mm Pinfire revolver within his belt.

We show in the gallery a historically significant identical 7mm pinfire revolver that sold in Paris, by Rémy Le Fur & Associates, for $182,000. It was the 7mm Lefrauchaux pinfire that Van Gogh used to shoot himself. We were one of the dozen or so unsuccessful bidders for it, but unfortunately it exceeded our top price that our American client was willing to pay.

The gun offered at the sale was found in the field in question by a farmer around 1960, and was handed to the current consignor’s mother. The auction house claims there are several factors that point to it being the gun in question: it was discovered in the location where Van Gogh was shot; the 7mm caliber matches that of the bullet retrieved from Van Gogh’s body, and scientific studies suggest that the gun had been on the ground since the 1890s. It is also a fairly small calibre gun, which might explain why the artist didn’t die immediately.

Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch:30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. Not commercially successful, he struggled with severe depression and poverty, eventually leading to his suicide at age thirty-seven. Interestingly he lived for a time in England as an art salesman, then later as a supply teacher in Ramsgate. Not suitable for export.

As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables  read more

Code: 25729

Magnificent Large Pair of Antique,19th Century French Napoleonic Bronzes of 'Old Guard' Soldiers, a Drummer & Grenadier.'Avant le Combat' & 'Apres le Combat' Henri Dumaige. French Soldiers Often Referred to Napoleon's Old Guard as "the Immortals"

A Fine Pair of Large Bronze Figures, Entitled 'Avant le Combat' and 'Apres le Combat', Cast from the models by Etienne-Henri Dumaige (1830 - 1888) (1830 - 1888) Signed H. Dumaige, with title plaquettes.

The Old Guard (French: Vieille garde) was a formation of the French Imperial Army's Imperial Guard. Consisting exclusively of revolutionary veteran troops, it was the most prestigious formation in Napoleon's Grande Armée. French regular soldiers often referred to Napoleon's Old Guard as "the Immortals".

Famously devoted to the Emperor, who even referred to them as "my children"; the members of his Old Guard were selected based on physical traits, most notably above-average height. Their imposing stature was likely impressive to foes and allies alike. Awards as well as veterancy were also taken into consideration when selecting troops for the Old Guard.

ON THE EVENING of April 11, 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte’s 20-year career as a conqueror was seemingly at an end.

The 44-year-old emperor had just surrendered France to a coalition of a dozen European powers. As part of the armistice, he also agreed to give up the throne and go into exile on the tiny Mediterranean island of Elba.

On the eve of his departure, a shattered Napoleon marched into the courtyard of his palace at Fontenbleu to deliver a heartfelt farewell to a very special group of soldiers – his Old Guard.

“For 20 years, I have accompanied you on the road to honour and glory,” he cried before departing. “I intend to write the history of the great achievements we have performed together. Adieu, my friends. If I could, I would press you all to my heart.”

According to legend, more than a few of the battle-hardened veterans broke down as the scene played out before them.

The Guard was made up of Napoleon’s finest. They were the most seasoned soldiers of the French army and the best of his elite Imperial Guard. All were hand-picked volunteers of above-average height, each one hardened by years of campaigning.

The emperor housed his fiercely loyal Old Guard in the best quarters, dressed them in the sharpest uniforms and lavished them with the finest rations. In return, he expected them to fight ferociously when called upon. And fight they did, with unflagging bravery in all of Napoleon’s most famous battles.

Disbanded in 1814, elements of the Old Guard would reform the following year as Bonaparte escaped from exile. Yet despite their final defeat at Waterloo 100 days later, the Old Guard would go down in history as one of the most famous fighting units to ever set foot on a battlefield.

The bronzes represent two separate moments in the French Revolution, the uprising against Louis XVI and the fall of the monarchy. Both the soldiers depicted here went on to become part of Napoleon's veteran Old Guard of the Grande Armee. The most fiercely loyal and the highest regarded French soldiers of the entire Napoleonic wars era.

One figure is entitled 'Avant le combat 1792' and depicted as a Drummer calling the the citizens to the barricades.

The second figure is entitled ‘Apres le Combat 1792’ and depicted as a Grenadier or infantryman; this figure is portrayed smoking a pipe and relaxing as he leans on his musket.

Dumaige studied sculpture under Féuchère and Dumont. He exhibited his sculptures depicting groups, statues, and busts at the Salon from 1863-1886
Henry Etienne Dumaige

Born in Paris in 1830, Henry Etienne Dumaige studied sculpture under Féuchère and Dumont. He exhibited his sculptures depicting groups, statues, and busts at the Salon from 1862-1877.

He sculpted a large number of busts, groups and statuettes in marble, plaster and bronze, including statuettes of Desmoulins and Rabelais. He died at St-Gilles-Croix-de-Vié in 1888

Dumaige was a French bronzier and sculptor born in Paris in 1830, where he worked during the mid-19th Century. Dumaige exhibited his sculptures at the Paris Salon and the Academie des Beaux-Arts from 1862-1877, where he was widely acclaimed for the variety of his oeuvre. He was adept in depicting groups, statues and busts in bronze, plaster and marble.
Reference;
Lami, Stanislas (1914), Dictionnaire des Sculpteurs de l'Ecole Francais.
Berman, Harold (1981), Bronzes- Sculptors and Founders 1800-1930, Abage, Chicago.
Forrest, Michael (1988), Art Bronzes, Schiffer Publications, Pennsylvania.
Kjellberg, Pierre (1987), Les bronzes du XIX siecle, dictionnaire des sculpteurs, L'Amateur, Paris.
Dimensions
Height : 64 cm 25.5 inches Width : 11 inches Depth : 11 inches  read more

Code: 25725

Fine Original English Civil War Cavalryman's Cuirass, Front Plate and Back Plate Armour, Formerly From the Fabulous 'Warwick Castle Collection', The Warwick Castle Armoury From The Time Of The Siege of The Castle During the English Civil War

A very fine original English Civil War New Model Army cavalry trooper's cuirass direct from the Armoury of Britain's greatest medieval castle, Warwick Castle. Possibly the very best full Civil War armour cuirass to come onto the market in 50 years. As good as the very best example in the British Royal Collection.

It was sold to assist the restoration of the great hall at the castle. This breast plate still has the Warwick castle armoury inventory metal tag still affixed to it. The breast plate has fine Civil War period armourer's marks of the London Armourers Company *see below of the 'A' mark for the Commonwealth, and also the helmet mark to the back plate. During the Civil War the Castle was besieged by the Royalists, they failed in their endeavours and they were captured and incarcerated within the castle dungeons. It most likely possible this armour was used in this conflict and placed in the armoury at the castle and remained there ever since until we bought it. William the Conqueror ordered the start of the building of Warwick in the 11th century, and by the 14th century the great Towers were completed. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have the opportunity to acquire some wonderful arms and weaponry from a small disposal from the Castle Armoury, in order to benefit the restoration of the Castle. In the year 1264, the castle was seized by the forces of Simon de Montfort, who consequently imprisoned the then current Earl, William Mauduit, and his Countess at Kenilworth (who were supporters of the king and loyals to the barons) until a ransom was paid. After the death of William Mauduit, the title and castle were passed to William de Beauchamp. Following the death of William de Beauchamp, Warwick Castle subsequently passed through seven generations of the Beauchamp family, who over the next 180 years were responsible for the majority of the additions made to Warwick Castle. After the death of the last direct-line Beauchamp, Anne, the title of Earl of Warwick, as well as the castle, passed to Richard Neville ("the Kingmaker"), who married the sister of the last Earl (Warwick was unusual in that the earldom could be inherited through the female line). Warwick Castle then passed from Neville to his son-in-law (and brother of Edward IV of England), George Plantagenet, and shortly before the Duke's death, to his son, Edward. Several Kings owned Warwick including King Henry VIIth, and Henry VIIIth, James Ist, and also Queen Elizabeth.* In 1322, in the reign of King Edward II, the Guild of St George of the Armourers was instituted, by ordinance of the City of London, which laid down regulations for the control of the trade. King Henry VI presented the Armourers with their first Royal Charter in May 1453. The New Model Army's elite troops were its Regiments of Horse. They were armed and equipped in the style known at the time as harquebusiers, rather than as heavily armoured cuirassiers. They wore a back-and-front breastplate over a buff leather coat, which itself gave some protection against sword cuts, and normally a "lobster-tailed pot" helmet with a movable three-barred visor, and a bridle gauntlet on the left hand. The sleeves of the buff coats were often decorated with strips of braid, which may have been arranged in a regimental pattern. Leather "bucket-topped" riding boots gave some protection to the legs.

Regiments were organised into six troops, of one hundred troopers plus officers, non-commissioned officers and specialists (drummers, farriers etc.). Each troop had its own standard, 2 feet (61 cm) square. On the battlefield, a regiment was normally formed as two "divisions" of three troops, one commanded by the regiment's Colonel (or the Major, if the Colonel was not present), the other by the Lieutenant Colonel.

Their discipline was markedly superior to that of their Royalist counterparts. Cromwell specifically forbade his men to gallop after a fleeing enemy, but demanded they hold the battlefield. This meant that the New Model cavalry could charge, break an enemy force, regroup and charge again at another objective. On the other hand, when required to pursue, they did so relentlessly, not breaking ranks to loot abandoned enemy baggage as Royalist horse often did
One picture in the gallery shows Warwick Castle today for information only, not included  read more

Code: 21825

Wonderful, Very, Very Rare, Original European Medieval Crusader Knight’s 'Hauberk', Chain Mail Body Armour Shirt. As Worn, In Combat, By Such As King Edward 1st of England & Louis IX of France, Bohemond VI of Antioch & All The Nobility of Europe

Originally recovered from the Keep of Burleigh Castle, in Perthshire, around 800 to 700 years old, And formerly of the Edred Gwilliam Collection a well reknown collector and specialist of early arms and armour.

The European earliest mail armour is really rare, highly complex to make and extraordinarily expensive, yet very simple as a full armoured king or knight only wore a helmet and hauberk, and hauberks are only ever seen in such a near complete state in the best museum or castle armoury collections, such as in the Tower of London, Nuremburg Castle or the British Museum.

This mail would be ideal for the connoisseur of medieval European history or the collector of rare armour. It has a near unlimited abundance of the intellectual beauty of ancient history, and as a surviving example of the pageantry from the earliest days of early, European, chivalric knighthood and the crusades is simply wonderful.
This is a medieval Hauberk from the late Crusades era the late 1200's up to the 14th - 15th century, and at one time it was housed in the keep of Burleigh Castle, and found during an excavation of the keep area of the ruin around 200 plus years ago. Although once a large and imposing castle, Burleigh Castle now consists of a ruined 15th-century tower of three storeys and an attic, which had bartizans at three of the corners and a caphouse over the stair at the fourth. This tower is joined by a surviving section of courtyard wall, with a gate, to a corner tower. The corner tower is round at the base, but corbelled out and crowned with a square chamber. The walls are pierced by shot-holes, and one of the skewputts has the date 1582..
The rectangular tower had a corbelled-out parapet and garret storey, but these are gone except for the remains of open rounds.

The mail coat or hauberk formed a flexible metal armour shirt that was often worn over a padded tunic. The traditional image of the knight encased in a full suit of plate armour did not come about until the 1400s. It is relatively complete with some separated areas that could be reconnected with a little patience and skill. The word hauberk is derived from an old German word Halsberge, which originally described a small piece of mail that protects the throat and the neck (the 'Hals'). The Roman author Varro attributes the invention of mail to the Celts. The earliest extant example was found in Ciumesti in modern Romania and is dated to the 4th-5th centuries BC. Roman armies adopted similar technology after encountering it. Mail armour spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin with the expansion of the Romans. It was quickly adopted by virtually every iron-using culture in the world, with the exception of the Chinese. The Chinese used it rarely, despite being heavily exposed to it from other cultures.

The short-hemmed, short-sleeved hauberk may have originated from the medieval Islamic world. The Bayeux Tapestry illustrates Norman soldiers wearing a knee-length version of the hauberk, with three-quarter length sleeves and a split from hem to crotch. Such armour was quite expensive both in materials (iron wire) and time/skill required to manufacture it Only the wealthy, the nobles, could afford to purchase mail shirts, and so a hauberk became a symbol of rank for the warrior class of society. The first step involves the smelting of iron, and after that, one must make the wire. Making the wire requires the use of small, thin sheets of iron and then shearing thin strips off the sides of this sheet in order to form square wires, or using another method, one can repeatedly beat and shape small iron pieces into narrow rods in order to form the raw material needed for wire.

After making the rods, the armorer must reheat and draw the strips through conical holes in a metal block to form round wire, and if thinner wire is needed, he can repeat this step several times using narrower holes. Once the wire is reduced to the desired diameter, it is then wrapped around a metal rod to create long, spring-like coils. The armorer then cuts along the length of the coil, down one side with shears or hammer or cutting chisel, and this causes the coils to separate into individual rings. Each ring is then flattened with a tool called a die, or something similar, and while flattening, the die also punches holes in each end of the ring. The armorer then overlaps the ends of each ring and rivets them shut. This process of flattening, punching with a die, joining the rings together, and then riveting them might have to be repeated thousands of times in order to make a single shirt of mail.

The hauberk stored in the Prague Cathedral, dating from the 12th century, is one of the earliest surviving examples from Central Europe and was supposedly owned by Saint Wenceslaus. In Europe, use of mail hauberks continued up through the 14th century, when plate armour began to supplant it. The hauberk is typically a type of mail armour which is constructed of interlocking loops of metal woven into a tunic or shirt. The sleeves sometimes only went to the elbow, but often were full arm length, with some covering the hands with a supple glove leather face on the palm of the hand, or even full mail gloves. It was usually thigh or knee length, with a split in the front and back to the crotch so the wearer could ride a horse. It sometimes incorporated a hood, or coif. The iron links of the mail shirt provided a strong layer of protection and flexibility for the wearer. The overlapping rings allowed a slashing or cutting blow from a sword to glance off without penetrating into the skin; though a smashing blow from a club could still shatter or break or crush bones. For this reason to prevent the breakage of bones a knight would wear a layer of padded armour, or an aketon, underneath the mail. So the combined layers of padded tunic and mail gave the knight a suit of armour that was nearly impervious to cutting and slashing and also protective against the heavy, smashing blows often delivered on the medieval battlefield.

This was a property of the Balfours of Burleigh from 1446, who built the castle, and was visited by James IV. It passed by marriage to James Balfour of Pittendreich in the 16th century through the heiress Margaret Balfour. He was involved in the murder of Cardinal David Beaton, and was captured at St Andrews in 1546 to spend the next two years as a galley slave of the French. On his release he sided with Mary, Queen of Scots, but then spied for the Protestant faction and revealed her military plans. He was made Lord President of the Court of Session, and was party in having James Douglas, Earl of Morton, executed for his part in the murder of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. He died in 1583.

Two Illustrations in the gallery are of the Bayeux tapestry embroidery, that show hauberk's being carried for battle, on long poles, by the squires, and a hauberk, in the second picture section, being taken from a fallen knight's body lower section under Harold Rex {King Harold}. Another picture in the gallery is from an old manuscript showing the tradecraft in the manufacture of mail armour.  read more

Code: 21436

A Rare & Huge, M1863 Single Action Starr Army 'Long Barrel' Revolver of the Civil War, .44 Calibre. Exactly As Can Be Seen Featured in Clint Eastwood’s Oscar Winning Movie, ‘The Unforgiven’

Single action 1863 model. Good external condition for age An impressive, big and powerful .44 cal revolver of the Civil War and early Wild West. Alongside the Colt Dragoon this was the biggest pistol of the Civil War, and it has amazing presence with an 8 inch barrel. Starr was the third largest producer of revolvers for the Union behind Colt and Remington.During the war the M-1863 Starr was issued to a number of US cavalry regiments, including the 1st Colorado Cavalry, the 6th & 7th Michigan Cavalry and the 11th New York Cavalry, just to name a few. While Starr double action revolver production started in 1858 they did not start production of the single action until 1863 finishing in 1865. Total Model 1863 S.A. production was approximately 25,000 revolvers making them rare finds today. The Model 1863 Single Action .44 calibre percussion Army Revolver was the third of the Starr revolvers produced for the military. Between September, 1863 and December 22, 1864, the Starr Arms Company delivered 25,002 Model 1863 Army revolvers to the Ordnance Department. The government's cost for this arm was $12.00 each. These arms and components were produced in Starr's plants in Yonkers, Binghamton and Moorisania. The grips on this gun are very good. The big long barrel Starr Army Revolver is the pistol that was chosen by the hero in Clint Eastwood's Academy Award winning movie 'The Unforgiven' played by Clint Eastwood, and the pistol was in fact featured as the main promotional part of the film in the 'Unforgiven' poster, see picture of the Starr Revolver, in the poster, in our gallery copyright Warner Bros.Single-action Army model of 1863 in .44 chambering with production numbers reaching 3,000, 21,454 and 23,000 respectively.
Design of the pistol fell to Ebanezar (Eban) Townsend Starr and all of the guns were manufactured out of the Starr Arms Company facility of Binghampton and Yonkers, New York for Federal service. The guns relied on a percussion cap system of operation with each chamber of the six-round cylinder loaded with a charge and a ball. Percussion caps were set upon the awaiting nipples found at each chamber. The hammer then fell on these caps to produce the needed ignition of the propellant charge within each chamber, the resultant forces propelling the ball out of the barrel. Externally, the revolver was of a conventional design arrangement. The handle was ergonomically curved for a good fit in the hand while being covered in useful grips. A solid frame was featured around the rotating six-shot cylinder which offered strength that open-frame revolvers of the period generally lacked. The hammer protruded from the rear of the frame within reach of the shooting hand's thumb for actuation as necessary. A loading arm was positioned under the barrel to help ram the contents of the chambers to the rear (and thus closer to the percussion cap's port). The barrel sat over this arm in the usual way, the ball projectiles guided into it by way of a proper seal from the cylinder's front face to the barrel's rear end. All in all, a traditional revolver arrangement that was proven to work. Sighting was by way of iron fittings over the top of the gun.

The gun has been made none actionable by the removal of such as the mainspring and cylinder ratchet pawl etc. { that are no longer present} very possibly as a simple way to temporarily deactivate its use for historical display. All the missing parts are relatively easy to be sourced in America, likely for a few hundred dollars, but its next owner may not wish to, or even need to bother, as it is no longer to be used, However, the price very much reflects the fact of the lack of the working internal action parts, which makes this revolver incredibly inexpensive and great value, due to its now completely non functioning condition, yet it is still a fascinating, original, historical souvenir of the US Civil War. FYI, Our last complete operable example we sold for £2850. Thus, one can acquire this 90% original, but only internally incomplete revolver of the Civil War, for considerablely less than 50% it’s worth.
As with all our antique guns no licence is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables.  read more

Code: 25258